Angel of Mercy
by DenizenofTwilight
Summary: Riku had felt a connection to Naminé since their meeting in Castle Oblivion, but the two still opted to remain alone and speak only when necessary. When Riku speaks to Naminé for the first time, life as the pair know it begins to shift. It doesn't take a lot to realize they have a lot in common and a comfort in each other, but will the two ever find solace in one another? Not AU.


**Author's Note: Okay, this story deals a little bit with women's' periods. If you're uncomfortable with that at all, you might want to leave now. It isn't in here too much, but…**

**Also, I may have taken a bit of a liberty when it comes to Naminé's powers. Basically? I made it so that anything she draws comes into fruition. The scene in KHII where the stairs Naminé drew turn into real ones, and Chain of Memories—when she draws Sora in front of Castle Oblivion and he ends up there—are the inspiration for this. I know it probably doesn't work that way at all, but just go with it for the sake of the story. Thanks.**

**Oh! And the "pink" in Naminé's hair is actually some of her own blood. You'll see when you get there.**

**Story takes place before Xion returns to Sora. Yeah…**

**Angel of Mercy **

**Riku's PoV**

Riku remembered well the first day he saw Naminé with what looked like a strand of pink hair. The day it had happened, Naminé had been diligently working on Sora's memories (as always), while Riku had been bringing in the groceries. And at first, the Dawn wielder hadn't even noted that her hair had a Kairi sheen to it. Instead, he'd been pouring over the grocery list to try and remember what all belonged to the white witch.

And he had to admit that he found it rather comical that Naminé had asked for apple-ish grape flavored Popsicles—not sea-salt ones— and that they weren't blue in the slightest, for once. It was only after acknowledging that that Riku had looked up from the black end table he'd bought for the girl (she needed colors other than white in her room), and noted that Naminé must have accidentally gotten crayon in her hair or something.

Err... that had been his second thought, anyway. His first frantic one had been that she was somehow turning into Kairi (which wouldn't have been too big of a leap, as Riku was beginning to guess just who's Nobody Naminé was). And in that, Riku found he couldn't bear to stay around the Kairi clone. It would just- it would hurt too much.

So blushing and apologizing profusely, as he handed Naminé her desired ice cream treats, Riku gracelessly ran from the room as fast as he could. Because even if Naminé had just gotten crayon in her hair, and wasn't becoming the redhead... the fact remained that it was Sora she was working around the clock for. Not him.

As Riku peered around the door to Naminé's room—and watched her gently color in her sketchbook, as if afraid that were she too rough she'd tear even more holes in Sora's memories—he found he had no desire to be burned by her like his Replica had been. Or, more accurately, he didn't want to once again be burned by Kairi.

Kairi... in the end, she would always belong to Sora, and it was far time Riku remembered that and moved on. And so Riku did... or so he had thought.

...

To be honest, Riku wasn't entirely sure he would have ever spoken to Naminé again after the "incident", had it not been a necessity.

Sitting in his "room" of the old mansion, Riku had been looking out the window to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette going about one of their typical investigations. At first, he'd had to scoff at the idea of them ever finding him unless he wanted them to, but feeling particularly quirky that day (something he hadn't felt much since he'd left the Islands), Riku thought about throwing them a bone, and ruffling one of the curtains to give them something new to obsess over.

However, as he remembered he'd soon be putting Roxas in a Virtual Twilight Town with simulations of the three kids, Riku found his good mood disappearing as fast as it had come. It was then that Naminé came running past him, and that things ended up changing for them forever.

Granted, Riku wanted to believe that if Naminé hadn't darted past him that day, that he still would have gone after her, but he wasn't entirely sure on that front. And it was only after he'd lost her—with her having returned to Kairi—that such a distinction ended up mattering to him more than anything else did in the world.

"Naminé, where's the fire?" Riku asked, as he darted out of his room, and paused to try and see what the girl was doing. And as he brushed his hand against the light switch, Riku was suddenly hit with the memory of Naminé asking him if she could turn his light on, so she could see and go to the bathroom. In fact, it had happened so often that Riku had become accustomed to Naminé waking him up at night; Riku himself had even ended up glad for the fact, as he didn't want the poor girl to fall and die in the night.

But why he was recalling such a thing at that moment, Riku had no idea. Even weirder than that: Riku felt a slight blush coloring his cheeks at the thought of it all. Thankfully, DiZ had never known of Nami waking Riku at night, but the Dawn wielder had to wonder what he would have said if he had.

Especially when Riku's feet ended up moving of their own accord, and he soon found himself kneeling in front of Naminé, as she sat atop the toilet lid. If her face was anything to go by, she seemed to be in a lot of pain. And what was that pink staining the back of her dress? Could it have been blood?

Forgetting completely for a moment what he'd learned in health class, Riku's first ridiculous thought was that Organization XIII had located them, and in finding out what they were planning had deemed to hurt Naminé. Grasping onto her hand worriedly and angrily, Riku began questioning Naminé desperately. It would be much later when he'd fully understand why he'd been so frantic then And it would take even longer still for him to realize the emotions he'd begun to feel for the blond Nobody, and the emotions that would always be there.

"Naminé, have you been hurt? Was there an attack? Just tell me, and I'll go after the-"

"Riku, please. I'm just fine. Well, in a manner of speaking, anyway. You see... I'm afraid it's just my time of month, is all." Surprisingly enough, Riku wasn't as uncomfortable as he probably should have been at the sudden subject change, though he certainly thought he should have been (he was a teenage boy, after all), but then again… he'd always been rather mature for his age, hadn't he?

And instead of freaking out about the mechanics of a necessary part of life, Riku was instead worried by the fact that Naminé had been with him and DiZ for months, and she hadn't once asked him to pick her up any pads, tampons, heating pads, or even chocolate.

Feeling terrible about it all, despite Naminé's assurances that she was "fine", Riku had to wonder how he'd been insensitive enough to overlook such a thing. He should have remembered to ask Naminé about it when she'd come to stay in the mansion! Had he learned nothing from time he'd spent with his mom, Kairi or Selphie? Sure Naminé was a Nobody, but he still should have known the same thing would apply to her!

"Naminé, I'm so sorry I never brought you anything for that! It's just, my life's been completely turned upside down since the Heartless attacked, and Kairi never really bled like you do. She seemed to have cramps more than anything, and-"

If he had been Sora, Riku assumed his cheeks would have probably been flaming by the point he muttered that disastrous faux pas. He had _not_ meant to say that much at all, but his guilt—as well as his irritation at his obliviousness (seriously! How had he not noticed when Naminé wore white for god's sake?!)—had led to him making the sort of blunder he never would have expected from himself.

At least he hadn't mentioned he didn't know that Nobody girls had periods, though. _That_ would have been the faux pas of all faux pas. And technically, Riku had to admit that his comparing Naminé to Kairi had also been bad, but at least he hadn't made it seem like he thought Naminé was her Nobody; after all, he still wasn't sure about that, and-

"Really, Riku. It's fine. Fortunately, I've been able to use a bit of my powers to tend for myself, but I do appreciate your concern." And at that, Naminé saw fit to aim a small smile at Riku that made him feel better and guiltier all at the same time. "And at least you're not as hopeless as Sora, right?" Naminé asked, as she cocked her head to the side, and her blond hair spilled around her head like a halo.

And though it was true Naminé's last words were indeed heaven sent (and what Riku had only ever dreamed that Naminé would say), he soon found that he wasn't paying attention to them in the slightest. In the back of Riku's head, the words swirled around and round—and he relaxed easily for the relief they provided—but what he was really interested in… was the snark that Naminé had shown in insulting Sora.

Well, well, well. It seemed as though she wasn't as sweet as Riku had initially thought, then. Crossing his arms albeit satisfied at that, the Dawn wielder added another proof to his idea that Naminé was Kairi's Nobody. But what made Riku even happier than even knowing Naminé had a fire like Kairi's (and knowing he could probably get on with her just as easily for the fact) was the knowledge of how seamlessly Naminé seemed to tease people. With Kairi, her words were always a bit forced and almost came out cruel (mostly due to her Princess of Heart status being challenged, Riku assumed). Sora, too, usually seemed arrogant when he meant to poke fun at someone, but Naminé...

Naminé could poke fun just as easily as Riku was able to. And maybe in that... maybe in that she wasn't as unattainable for him as Kairi had been. Maybe Naminé was even a Dawn being similarly to how he was. Wasn't that the definition of a Nobody, anyway? And as the truth of that question hit Riku like a ton of bricks, he smiled radiantly for the first time in a year.

"Sora is completely helpless, I can concur. You should hear some of the weird and silly ideas he first had in learning about periods," and fortunately for Riku, Naminé didn't seem uncomfortable or lost by his words in the slightest (Riku often forgot that Naminé had access to all of Sora's memories). To the contrary, she seemed rather interested in what he was saying; especially when he shuffled closer to her, and gave her a small grin (maybe she was in need of some companionship, too?).

So ruffling her hair a little bit good-naturedly—and laughing all the while when Naminé's finger fell from her lips, and she put on an expression far more suiting of an innocent little girl—Riku found he really enjoyed laughing with Naminé, and wanted to continue doing so in the future.

Winking a little bit at the blond Nobody, Riku spoke less seriously than he ever had, but somehow the words ended up coming out completely wrong, and the moment ended up completely ruined. Hell, everything ended up ruined.

"Nami," Riku said with the nickname sliding off his tongue like an old favorite word, "I wouldn't always mention your ability to create false things. I'm glad it allowed you what you needed for your period, but the whole thing can still be a bit unsettling, you know?"

Though Riku was surprised to find he _was_ a bit unsettled by Naminé's powers, he knew he would have given _anything_ to wipe away the grave look that came to stain Naminé's features. The look that he had just put on her face. Naminé looked absolutely _devastated_, and as Riku watched her—wanting to say _anything_ to make her feel better—he couldn't help but marvel at how he'd just hurt Naminé… the way Kairi's rejection had once stung him.

Averting her eyes from him, and began to walk away in a very ungraceful manner—a way Riku had once scampered away from her—Naminé looked more downtrodden than Riku had ever seen her, and thus… he knew her words were going to be terrible before she even said them. He just hadn't counted on _how_ bad, and why they would be so. "The Organization learned about my power through my period. When my blood dripped down my thighs, and somehow made a sort of tree shape... it didn't take long for them to find out what I could do when a tree sprung up in front of us. I suppose I should just be glad that they let me use crayons to alter Sora's memories. And that when Larxene hit me, that she wasn't making me bleed so I could use that as a tool, as well.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Riku. After all, my power for changing things only ever serves in making me receive the worst imaginable punishments."

After her horrifying words were out, Naminé's voice instantly became distorted and garbled, as she tried to say _something_, when she ran passed Riku with tears in her eyes.

Much too slow did Riku try to reach for the girl, and apologize for his callous words. Riku had... he had never felt worse in his life. Not even for what he'd done to Sora and Kairi.

As Riku ground his teeth and curled his hand into a fist, he found he'd also never hated the Organization more than he did in that moment. He would make them _pay_! And he would do it for... for poor Naminé.

...

As to be expected, Naminé tried very hard to avoid Riku after his uncouth words, and her emotional display. And Though Riku really did want to remedy things with the girl he'd come to see as a friend (even if she felt nowhere close to the same way he did), Riku found he wasn't as worried about it all as he could have been. Though he'd messed up more terribly than he could have ever feared—and he should have been _begging_ Naminé for her forgiveness—Riku was certain things would set themselves right in due time; they always had with Kairi, after all. And in that, he was sure they would with Naminé, too.

And truthfully, though Riku hadn't apologized in so many words, he had taken up one way to try and show Naminé how he cared.

He had gotten her some hair ties, so that her hair could more easily be kept out of her blood.

And hopefully, the process would also serve in keeping her hair platinum, so he wouldn't mistake her for Kairi anymore. But, then again, now that he thought about it… he found he wasn't thinking as much about his red haired friend at all.

In fact, the only thing Riku even pondered about the Kairi and Naminé debacle anymore was thatNaminé seemed to be Kairi's shadow, as he was Sora's. So maybe that meant they should walk their destined path together? It was something to think about for sure, but…perhaps he shouldn't have been thinking about such things when on recon in The World That Never Was.

Summoning Way to Dawn to his side in a blinding flash of light, Riku relished in the water falling on his neck, as it wreaked havoc on Memory's Skyscraper's screens. Having been cooped up in the mansion for too long, Riku found it was nice to feel fresh air and be able to do manual labor again.

And, of course, just as soon as the relief truly hit him, Riku suddenly realized how he should have brought Naminé with him. Maybe now wasn't the best time, as he was testing to see if the Organization was clever enough to find Roxas in the Virtual Twilight Town when the time came, but later definitely. Closing his eyes and grinning, Riku could almost imagine perfectly how beautiful Naminé would look amongst the black streets of the Organization's world.

Holding that image in his head for just one more moment, Riku savored in the peace and serenity that Naminé brought, before putting his attention back on where it belonged. Saïx.

Riku had to swallow the taste of vile, when he eyed the blue haired man in front of him. Though Riku had never met Marluxia before, somehow whenever Riku imagined what had all gone down in Castle Oblivion, it was always Saïx he imagined hurting Nami so. Especially when he took into consideration what he had learned about the man from Xion.

Xion... Huh. It looked as though he had three accounts for hating Saïx, then didn't it? After all, the evil Nobody had mistreated Xion well enough to warrant hate enough, but he had even recently even ordered the recapture of Naminé, and the elimination of Sora.

Well, Riku wasn't about to let any of that happen, now was he? Nor was he going to let Saïx anywhere near Kairi or King Mickey, for that matter. As Riku ended up holding Way to Dawn against his hand so sharply that he drew blood, he thought about jumping down and ending the man all together, but the moment Ansem began to stir in Riku's heart, he thought better of it.

Later, Riku would remember that it had been the light from his summoned Keyblade—a light that was very similar to Naminé—that had pulled him away from the path he had vowed to never walk again.

Naminé… though she didn't fight in the slightest, she always seemed to help Riku win in battles, didn't she? The white witch may not have been perfect, but she was certainly Riku's angel. A flawed angel, yes, but perfect for him all the same. He only wished he would have realized it sooner…

And even with that melancholy thought taking hold of him, Riku found he smiled one more time. At the thought of Naminé…

…

**Naminé's PoV**

"Riku, you're back!" Naminé said, surprising even herself, as DiZ thankfully allowed her to take a break and help decorate the Christmas tree. Why they were celebrating Christmas in July, Naminé didn't know. Some days she suspected that DiZ felt guilty for the way he treated her (so that could have been a possible reason for it), but really the celebration was most likely for Riku than anyone else. So maybe that was why Naminé'd gone against her will of silence to welcome him back, then? Because she knew the festivities were mostly for him?

Shaking her head to rid it of her bizarre thoughts, Naminé opted to turn away from the Dawn wielder (though she did award him a small smile), and help DiZ by placing a red ornament onto the tree. For a moment, Naminé couldn't help but smile at herself reflected in the orb. With its pristine redness washing over her form, she looked more like Kairi than ever! And even better than that, with Riku sharing memories with her like he once had with Kairi, Naminé could almost believe that she belonged in the moment. She could almost believe that she _was_ Kairi. All she really needed was Sora here, to make it seem more rea-

In the end, Naminé's dropping the glass ball happened either a lot slower than she had thought it would, or much faster. Oddly, though, it wasn't the ornament that ended up scratching her fingers as it plummeted to the ground, rather it was the sharp pine needles of the tree.

Riku, though, (who hadn't seemed to grasp that fact like Naminé had), was looking over her fingers gently, while smashing the red ball he thought to have harmed her.

As Naminé's pearl-pink tongued darted out of her mouth to moisten her lips, she couldn't help but marvel at how Riku had just meant to help her: that he had meant to destroy something that had seemingly offended her. Naminé'd never... She'd never known he cared about her so much.

She certainly didn't deserve it, though. Not when she'd once again dreamed of having a central part in Sora's memories. Even after everything, how was it that she- why, oh why, was she so stupid? What was wrong with her?! Apparently everything, if she was once again dreaming of making the same mistake that had ruined countless lives.

"Naminé, Naminé, stop it!" It was only after Riku began shaking her shoulders that Naminé realized she'd dropped to the floor whilst she was screaming, and was currently pulling at her hair. And what was she- were those tears falling from her eyes? Oh no. Why was she doing this now of all times? She didn't have the right to vent out her frustrations this way at all; and as she locked eyes onto Riku's concerned ones, and DiZ's guarded ones, Naminé found she was very, very ashamed for her behavior.

In fact, in her half deranged state, Naminé meant to tell Riku just how awful she was, but his sudden motion of hugging her from behind quickly stopped the idea. Out of the corner of her eye, Naminé thought she saw DiZ looking at her sympathetically for a beat, but she couldn't be entirely sure about it. Really, she couldn't be sure of anything. But the soothing motion Riku was currently rocking her in. That felt nice at least. Yes, at least there was that. And just for that moment, Naminé knew peace.

Then, Riku began walking with her in a direction opposite of her room.

"Riku, your fingers are really soft and warm. Even moreso than Sora's, I never noticed before." Naminé said subconsciously, as she held onto Riku's fingers even tighter, and noted he seemed to be headed in the direction of his own room.

Riku… he was really so sweet. Though Naminé knew their friendship could really never go anywhere, as she was destined to return to Kairi and they were both too mentally scarred… she found there was no one she would have rather spent her current year with than him.

And so maybe in that… maybe she'd found some sort of redemption for what she'd done to Sora. And maybe she could even afford some atonement for Riku, too. "I forgive you for before, Riku," Naminé said, as she put a gentle hand to Riku's face, and started to return from her psychotic episode, through the earnest expression in Riku's eyes.

Unbeknownst to Naminé, her gentle words had made Riku's face flame more than it ever had, and she even filled his heart with a new sense of resolve.

And though Naminé had missed those things, she hadn't at all missed Riku's sudden hand on her own, or the pensive look on his face. "Naminé, I've noticed something about us. You're a masochist, right? Maybe we're the same in that. We choose to love those who we don't deserve, when we could choose someone better suited for us. Someone who would love us like we deserve. I guess we love to torture ourselves, huh? But when… but when does it stop, Naminé?"

Blinking her eyes open widely at that, Naminé assumed she probably looked a bit owlish, as she looked at Riku with wider eyes than she'd even thought she was capable of.

As he finally made it to his room, Riku was quick to lay Naminé down on the bed (intending to leave her to rest, she assumed), but as she suddenly awoke more from her trance sharply, Naminé thought she was beginning to see things clearer than she ever had. She had… she always wanted the light from Riku's room to shine down on her, hadn't she? And now…now she was starting to think she knew why.

Folding her hands in front of her chest, as she was much accustomed to, Naminé met Riku with a stern look, before tugging on his sleeve to get him to stay. And as Riku fell onto the bed with her in an undignified heap, Naminé found Riku's eyes were much too knowledgeable when they locked onto hers. But even then, Naminé felt there was also an oblivious to them, and maybe that was what allowed her to speak so surely in front of him, but then again- she'd always been strong spoken around Riku, hadn't she?

And in that... in that Naminé supposed she really, truly belonged with him, and maybe she _was_ being as silly and acting the way he'd said. Drawing from all those thoughts, Naminé related with the most realistic and believing face she'd ever adorned," It's silly, Riku. But even though I told you it was okay to accept the Darkness, I was nervous about it myself. It's for that reason that I- that I took to liking the type of Popsicles I did. Violet is a color of Darkness, but in the apple, entwined with the grape, was also the shade of your eyes. In your eyes, I've always felt secure, and- "

"Silly, silly, Naminé. If you wanted to paint your hair green instead of pink, all you needed to do was ask. I'll be more than happy to color your hair for you, you know. After all, being as pale as you are, I can see why some color might be alluring to you."

At first, as Naminé cocked her head to the side curiously, and tried to understand just all Riku was saying, she'd meant to regard him with the uncertainty she'd award the Organization. Though his words were funny, and had cleverness belying them to make Naminé feel better than she had… this behavior, and straight-forwardness were odd actions for Riku. It seemed out of character for him to- Unless… could it have been she was resurrecting the confident version in him that had seemed so lost? Covering her mouth in shock at the thought, Naminé tried to just breathe easily, and not think about the magnitude of all the things she was beginning to understand, but in the end it was fruitless. In the end, Naminé could understand well why a wide smile stretched across her face.

As Riku looked at Naminé with large and uncertain eyes, she thought she knew the answer to just about everything in the universe now. She was desperately afraid to get her hopes up after everything, but… the fact that Riku was now saying he wanted to share all his pleasure and pain with her, in that he'd remembered the blood she had gotten in her hair so long ago… well, it gave Naminé more hope than she'd ever thought she could ever have again: hope that she would be remembered in at least _someone's_ heart, and maybe in the person who really deserved it the most. Riku…

And to that end, perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise that Naminé sat up on her haunches and dove into Riku's arms. Perhaps the _real_ surprise was in that she didn't hug him like a scared person looking for safety, but in the way a lover teased their soul mate.

As Naminé's sandals skidded across the bed, only to be paralleled by the way her arms skidded around Riku's neck, Naminé found that she'd gotten her Christmas wish, after all. And she'd never even thought to ask for it!

And she'd never known such happiness in her short life.

And if DiZ got his way, Naminé knew she probably wouldn't live much longer, but in the moment, she couldn't even think of such things. Instead, she only thought of the beautiful boy smiling at her in as shy a way, as she was him.

When the sun came up higher in the perpetual twilight behind them, and made Riku glow a very deep shade of orange, Naminé knew then and there that Riku was her own personal angel. She didn't need a spiky haired brunette in her life, or even one with corn silk hair. What she truly needed more than anything... was the boy whose silver hair looked pink via the sunlight.

Smiling sweetly the slightest bit at that, Naminé found herself extending a hand to Riku's cheek and muttering, "My hair probably looks magenta right now, but I find magenta and jade go well together, don't you think?"

As Riku chuckled slightly and leaned his forehead against Naminé's (as they fell even more onto his plump bed) the white witch noted instantly that he seemed to want to say something as saucy as she just had. And though it was as much a release for Naminé as it most likely was to Riku—to be have fun and joke after what seemed like eons—Naminé decided it would probably be best to silence Riku's wordplay with a simple kiss to the lips.

And what a kiss it was. Though it carried none of the false words and promises Naminé had once written into Sora's memories, it held a meaning of its own. With that very meaning, the whole world seemed to open wide, even for hurt people like Naminé and her Riku.

As Riku and Naminé pulled away from each other and smiled, Naminé knew that they were now creating real and beautiful memories together, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. After all, Naminé had wanted Riku's love in the fake memories, too, hadn't she? And in that, Naminé had found that Riku _did_ have the strongest and purest love of all. He really _was_ her angel.

Looking into Riku's jade eyes, and seeing her pale complexion reflected in them clearly, Naminé found she had no more desire to look like Kairi at all. Instead, she only aimed to be Riku's own angel. And looking at her reflection, and the serene expression on Riku's face as he gazed at her, Naminé was fairly certain she'd become just that.

And so, the Nobody and Dawn wielder found salvation in a love they thought had deserted them. And in each other's arms, they knew they'd always find home, their angel, and their salvation.

**Author's Note: Soooooo this is long overdue, as RikuNami is one of my fav KH ships (and I, sadly, have a severe lack of anything for the two in my gallery), so I'm glad I could finally contribute something to the wonderful ship that is Namiku.**

**In a lot of ways, I really like this, as I think it explains really well why I ship them, why I they'd be good together, and how I think their relationship would work out, but… On the other hand, I sort of hate this. Mainly because all of my inspiration went poof around the ending, and after many attempts at writing the ending, this was the best I could come up with. Oh well. I'm just glad to finally have this damned thing done. Especially since…**

**Especially since I think the cat I've had since I was five might be dying. I can't believe I'm saying this, or that I'd ever do this, but… Do you all think you could leave some nice comments about this fic? Or, at the very least, could you not flame this piece, even if you have complaints? It would just help a lot during this really rough time. Please pray for my cat. I know I'll have to lose her eventually, but if there's any chance I can keep her a bit longer, I'll more than happily cherish that chance. I would be so devastated without Kimba, and…**

**Well, I'll just leave it at that. Thank you all.**

**Edit: Also, sorry for any mistakes. I've actually edited this a lot of times, but I'm just mentally drained and out of it. Sorry.**

**-Shanna**


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